YULEE, Fla--Derrick Henry, as it turns out, wanted to commit to Alabama for quite some time. Still, he continued to check out other options.

But the Sporting News Top 125 running back out of Yulee (Fla.) couldn’t wait any longer.

Derrick Henry, one of the top high school running backs in the country, chose Alabama over Tennessee. (AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union)

On Friday at his school’s pep rally, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound running back announced he’ll sign with Alabama’s class of 2013 in February. He is the 20th recruit to pick the Crimson Tide this year.

Tennessee was Henry’s other finalist. He had taken official visits to both schools—Alabama last weekend, and Tennessee the weekend before. As much as anything, Alabama's successful running backs attracted Henry.

"I just like the way Coach Saban has his program and I like what Mark (Ingram) and Trent (Richardson) did there, and what T.J. Yeldon is doing now," Henry said Friday afternoon.

Henry’s coach, Yulee High School’s Bobby Ramsay, said Henry had talked about committing to Alabama as far back as the late spring. Henry was once a Georgia commitment, picking the Bulldogs during the summer between his sophomore and junior seasons. However, his interest waned, Ramsay said. As Alabama’s efforts to recruit him intensified, Henry withdrew his commitment to Georgia early in the summer.

Henry’s big day hardly ends with his school announcement. At 8 p.m., Yulee will take on Glades Day (Belle Glade, Fla.) and its own big-time running back—Kelvin Taylor. Taylor is the son of former NFL star Fred Taylor. Kelvin Taylor is committed to Florida, where his father played in college. The showdown between the two big-time running backs will be shown live on ESPNU.

Already this season, Henry and Taylor have made state history in Florida. Both have broken the 25-year old career rushing record once held by NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith. Smith held the record with 8,804 yards at Escambia (Pensacola, Fla.), but Henry passed that last week and now holds the four-year state record with 9,255 yards. Taylor has rushed for 8,998 yards since his freshman year—but also played varsity as an eighth grader and has rushed for 10,582 career yards overall.